Capsule



June 18, 1935. A. J. MEssNER 2,004,957

CAPSULE Filed April 25, 1954 (jm/verdict:

Patented June 18, 1935 CAPSULE Arthur J. Messner, Rochester, N. Y.,assigner of one-half to Elmer L. Schumacher, Southbridge,

Mass.

Application April 25, 1934, No. 722,301

2 Claims.

This invention relates to Capsules and more particularly to a ChewableCapsule made of a composition having a paraiiln base, the capsulecontaining a mouth medicament.

There are numbers of mouth medicaments upon the market; these are ofthree general types (1) those having-little or no` antiseptic orcleansing value but which contain considerable perfume and are adaptedchiefly to refresh the mouth and perfume the breath, (2) those which arelargely deodorants 4for the mouth and breath,

and (3) those Ithe antiseptic and cleansing power of which is theirchief value. These are usually sold in liquid form4 in glass bottles*whichy are heavy and cumbersome (and sometimes expensive) and areapplied to the teeth by varied means, such as by pouring alittle intothe mouth and slushing it through they teeth.

While there are a number of obvious objections to this method, animportant one is that it is somewhat unsanitary. Another objection isthat it requires the large sized bottlewhich the customer may feelunable to buy except infrequently. Furthermore in Case oi' travel, aperson usually does not wish to load his traveling bag with heavy toiletarf ticles, such as a bottle of mouth medicament, and may dispenseentirely with the use of the mouth medicament during such travel,withthe consequent loss of sales thereof to the manufacturer.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to

provide mouthmedicaments in a form which can be marketed. in smallindividual packages or quantities without much weight in addition to theweight of the mouth medicament itself.` in 'a form which can be usedeffectively, which` is sanitary and not susceptible of contamination,is'in the proper quantity fora single treatment 40 of the mouth and in aform in `which the mouth medicament is contained in a Chewable capsulehaving a parafnbase which acts to assist the cleansing of the teeth andactually gives some pleasure and zest to the process of so doing.

In its broader concept, my invention comprises a closedparafiln-composition capsule of Aany desired form containing a suitableCharge of mouth medicament, such as sufficient for onecleansing,deodorizing and/or perfuming treatment of the`mouth. y

Obviously the mouth medicament need not necessarily be in liquid form(although more' ygenerally so) but may be in the form of a paste ,oreasily soluble powder. My invention is intended to include, therefore,all three forms of purchase of a relatively` the mouth medicament, i. e.liquid, paste and powder.

The capsule is, of Course, hollow and may be of any desired form, suchas in the form of a short cylinder with closed ends,"a sphere, a Cube, la fruit, flower, or in fact any form desired.A For a form (such asy acylinder, sphere or "the like) requiring an inside diameter ofapproximately 1A of an inch, the walls of the capsule shouldv beapproximately 11; to 1A; of an inch in thickness, 10 ,y

more or less, depending upon the rigidity of the parailin composition. Acapsule 11,5 inches long has about the right volume'to contain asuiicient Charge of mouth medicament for one treatment.

If substantially pure, i. 'e. commercial, parafiin Ylli is to be used inpreparing the capsule, a paramn having a melting range of approximately130 to 133 F. is-very suitablevforv the reason that-it will notsoftensufficiently (in capsule form) t lose its shape at a temperature of 112F. A tem- 20 perature of 110 F. is about the highest temperature toAwhich a capsule wouldv be subjected in any climate or'ordinary conditionof handling or storage. At the same time sucha parafiin is 'veryChewable and has sufilcient plasticity at the tem- '25 perature of themouth (bodytemperature) to permit `gathering of the parailin into acoherent plastic mass within a few'seconds after it is fractured orCrushed in the mouth. Generally speaking, I have found it best not toemploy a paramn `30 having a melting range higher than 133 to 136 F., asysuch a paramn is'notas Chewable as is desired by most individuals.Paralns having a melting range higherthan 136 F. may,o't course, beemployed if one is willing to sacrifice alittle 35 on chewabilityor'gatherlng, but it is not my intention to include paratlins which`have such a high melting point lthat they have no chewability orgathering properties in the. mouth.v Paraillns 'having a melting rangeof about v133 40 to 136"y F. are'defln'itely Chewable vand. have asoftening point of about 112115 F. In general, in order to provide acapsule which will not lose i shapev at the highest temperature to whichit is apt to be subjected in Commerce, and which will not stick tothings with which it comes in Contact by reason of the flowingout oflower melting range paraiiins, e. g., by'sweating, it is preferable thatthe lower temperature of the melting range of the paraffin tobe'employed be 50* not' too low. To this end, I have found thatparaflinsl which are included inthe melting range of from approximately122-133 `F. will resist undue softening and sweating at from -120 F.Capsules madeoi' parailin hydrocarbons with- 55 in this melting rangewill not lose shape under most of the conditions to which they may besubjected in commerce. The less the percentage of the lower meltingparalns present, the better will the capsules withstand the eiIect oftemperature, and the larger the percentage of the lower meltingparafllns present, the more chewable will the capsule be. So, inpreparing the preferred capsule of my invention, the paraflin to be usedshould be selected with these things in mind in order tov balance theseproperties advantageously.

Also, I may use a mixture of varying proportions of paramns of dierentmelting points, as for instance, to 40 parts of 124-127 F. melting pointparailln mixed with 50 to 60 or more parts oi' 133-136 F. melting pointparailln will resist softening at 112 F. or even higher and has goodchewability.

If distribution is to beI effected in an area in which climatic. and/orhandling conditions `are not so severe (as to high temperatures) I lmaychoosev a paraiiin or paramn composition hav-4 ing a softening point of,for instance, 105 F. or even as low as 100 F. The plasticity of suchparaiin or parafiin composition would be correspondingly greater whichis advantageous (rather than disadvantageous) to the chewability `of thecapsule, as the gathering time for such a capsule is even less thanwhere the paramn has a higher melting point. I

All paraflins which one obtains upon the market today are composed of amixture of paramn hydrocarbons having a considerable range of meltingpoints. For instance, it has been found that from commercial paraiiins`melting from 122 to 136 F. there may be sweated out at 120 a smallpercentage of parailin hydrocarbons Y asto rid it of these lower meltingparamn hydro.

carbonsnand thereby make the paraifin more suitable for capsules fromthe standpoint of temperature resistance, vwithout appreciably affectingthe chewability thereof.

For clarity, it is best to state that by gathering it is intended tomean the ability of the paraflin when crushed'in the mouth to bemoldedagain into a single coherent mass. I'he facility with which thecrushed parailin can be ,gathered in the mouth is somewhat of a measureof the chewability of the parafiln. Chewability may be defined as thatproperty of the paramn whereby it can be masticated and still remain asingle coherent mass; if the mass coheres strongly during mastication,it is regarded as having a high degree of chewability, whereas if themass tends to separate into fragments, it may be regarded as having alow degree of chewability.

The capsule of my invention, containing a small charge of mouthmedicament, is used by merely depositing it in the mouth and crushing itwith the teeth, whereupon the mouth medicament ilows about the mouth andcleanses it, being assisted by slushing it through the teeth by meansofthe tongue andl cheeks. .At the g same time the crushed paramn isgathered into av coherent mass by means of the tongue. The mouthmedicament isthenl expectorated and the paraiiin chewedbrieily to finisho the cleans- The chewed parafiln has the advantage over chewing gum orchicle in that it will not stick to anything if dropped or carelesslydisposed of.

Parafiin in capsule form has the advantage that it is insoluble in allknown mouth medicaments, does not deteriorate on standing, is unaffectedby moisture or other of the elements and is insoluble in substantiallyall liquids or-gases with which it is liable to comeinto contact dur inghandling, storage or use.

The parafiln capsule may be colored by adding suitable harmless pigmentsor dyes thereto during the-compounding of the paraiiin prior toformation of the capsule, thus making itv more attractive to theprospective user. The paraiiln may also be avored `by adding sugar,essential oils and the like thereto during its preparation prior toformation of the capsule.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a sectional view of acapsule of my invention, in cylindrical form, showing how' the ends maybe rounded or tapered oif in the formation thereof. The drawing issuitably labeled to indicate the capsule and the contents thereof.

The cylindrical type of capsule is convenient and economical to produceas it may-be formed by continuously extruding a tube of paraffin atabout the plastic point of the paraflin (i. e. at about -l00 F.),cooling it somewhat, cutting the tube into suitable lengths, sealing oneend of the length, lling or charging the capsule with mouth medicamentthrough the other end and then sealing that end. The rounding ortapering of the capsule may be done by suitable forms maintained at atemperature slightly below the melting point ofthe paramn, aspforinstance, at about the softening point.l

If desired, the capsule maybe prepared by" casting it in halves insuitable molds and uniting .the halves, a suitable opening being leftfor charging thevcapsule, the opening then being sealed for instancewith a hot iron. Or a cold tube (such as a small test tube) may bedipped in molten parailin, withdrawn, heated upon the inside with waterand the capsule slipped off, charged and sealed at the open end. Inusing the foregoing methods where the vparailin is brought to a moltenstate, care should b'e taken not to heat the parafiln hot enough tocause pyrolysis andchange the properties of the paraiiindisadvantageously. Other ways of forming, charging and sealing thecapsule than those described 'above are known or will occur to thoseskilled in the art and as the particular method of so doing forms nopart of my invention it need not be described' further.

Ithas also been'found that the eiilciency of the paraiiln for cleansingthe teeth may be improved by mixing with the paraflirr a mild abrasive,such for instance asilnely powdered or divided (100 to 400 mesh) drychalk (calcium carbonate), talc, kaolin, asbestos, anhydrte, asbestine(talcous agalite), adsorbent carbon, and the like. As a matter of fact,nely divided llers of various kinds may be mixed with the paraffin inproportions of from a few per cent to 20 to 50 or even 60 per cent byweight and thereby raise the natural melting point of the paraflin andincrease its resistance to softening or collapse at higher temperaturesso as to give anv added factor of safety against collapse of the capsuleunder storage conditions where higher temperatures might be encountered.In collaborating with me upon this work, Charles W. Stillwell has indeedfound that the addition of various percentages of nnely divided orprecipitated chalk (calcium carbonate) to paraflin, for instanceapproximately 20 to 40 parts, and preferably 40 parts, of chalk to 60parts of paraflin will not only increase the softening point of theparailin several degreesv (about 3 to 5 F.) over the natural softeningpoint thereof but that thev chewability of the paraffin is therebyconsiderably increased. Thus while commercial paraffin having a meltingrange of approximately 130 133 F. is satisfactory, a mixture of \60parts bf such paraflin and about 40 parts of powdered chalk has theadvantage of having greater resistance to softening and greaterchewability as well as furnishing a mild abrasive for the teeth toassist in removing tartar and stain therefrom. More specifically, 25 to50 parts of powdered chalk with 75 to 50 parts of 124-127 F. meltingrange paraflin or 20 tov 40 parts of powdered chalk with to 60 parts of127-133 F. melting range paraffin gives a composition which will resistsoftening at temperatures as high as 118 to 120 F. and have excellentchewability. Also, 40 to 50 parts of powdered chalk with 60 to 50 partsof 119-I22 F. melting point paran will resist softening atabout 112 F.See Stillwell application Ser. No. '722,361 of even date.'

The resistance of the paraffin to softening may also be increased byadding certain waxes or resins thereto which are compatible therewith,such as a fraction of one per cent to a few. per cent of carnauba wax,ozokerlte, candelilla wax or beeswax. From 1/2 per cent to 1 percent hasbeen found satisfactory, although more may be added. For instance, 2-5per cent of carnauba wax raises the softening point of 119-122 F.melting range paraffin to 114 F. and it is still chewy. Higher meltingpoint parafllns tolerate less carnaubal wax (and still retainchewability) as, for instance, 1/2 to 1 per cent Vof carnauba wax may beadded to 133 F. melting range parafiin and retain chewability. Carnaubawax also toughens the chewiness of the paraffin somewhat. Generallyspeaking, however, this is somewhat at the-expense of the chewability ofthe paramn composition unless this is offset by the addition of powderedchalk or its equivalent.

The above ratings of softening points are somewhat conservative andordinarily may be regarded as one to three or fourdegrees higher,particularly since the smaller the capsule the better its resistance tosoftening. Also, when the capsule is lled with mouth medicament thesoftening point of the paraffin is increased a degree or two.

While my invention preferably employs parain or paraffin compositionstherein, I may also use halogenated parafiins or similarly substitutedparafiins so long as they have the same essential properties asparaffin, and the advantages above described.

Probably the more prominent of mouth medicaments sold today are thosebearing the tradename tion may, however, be compounded as follows:

Sodium chloride, sodium borate andboric acid combined in solution witheucalyptol, menthol and methyl salicylate and diluted with two to threeparts of water.

Example III Acetanilid 2 Grs. Boric acid 10 Grs. Sodium borate 21/2 Grs.Sodium benzoate; 21/2 Grs.

Formaldehyde solution 1 Min.

combined with eucalyptol, menthol, thymol,

methyl salicylate and baptisia and diluted withA from four to twentyparts of water.

Thus it will be apparent that my invention comprises two salientfeatures, each contributing to and augmenting the advantages of theother. The paraffin capsule acts to contain the mouth medicament andconvey it into the mouth Where the capsule is crushed. The mouthmedicament there serves its purpose of cleansing, deodorizing,perfuming, and invigorating the mouth and/or breath. The capsule maythen be chewed either in the presence of the mouth medicament or afterthe latter has been expectorated. Thus, the paraffin acts to iinishoffthe mouth cleansing process and is discarded, or it may be retained asit constitutes an excellent chew.

'I'he capsule of my invention is light, may be made into any desiredform or color and may be of any suitable size. `If the mouth medicamentis desired merely to perfume the breath the capsule may be rathersmall-possibly containing only a few drops of the perfume, which may beof any desired odor. Such a capsule appeals to the lady who may breakoff the tip of the capsule, use a portion of the perfume on herkhandkerchief or clothes and then chew the capsule with the remainingperfume, so that her breath will be perfumed the same as her clothes.The perfumefor such use-would, of course, be attractively flavored so asto be palatable as well as have a pleasing odor. Such capsules-are to beregarded as included in my invention and the claims hereto appended. Ifthe mouth medicament is for the cleansing, deodorizing orantisepticizing of the mouth and/or breath, the capsule may be of a sizecalculated to hold from one to two teaspoonsful of mouth medicament. Theparaffin may be perfumed or flavored to add to the attractiveness of thecapsule from the consumers standpoint.

Not of least importance is the fact that by means of my invention mouthmedicaments can be marketed in small attractive quantities which has notbeen practical heretofore with glass containers due to the expensethereof, paratlln being very cheap and available in unlimitedquantities. Heneethe mouth medicament may be sold in capsules in lots ofone half or one dozen to a package where only a small quantity of themouth medicament is desired. c An entirely new outlet for distributionis thus offered the manufacturer because of this break-down into smalland convenient units. Or the capsules may be sold in lots of one hundredor ve hundred where the customer is a regular user thereof. They arelight and tough enough so that they will not break if accidentallydropped, such as on the bath'room oor. The capsules themselves do notdeteriorate and as they are air tight, the mouth medicament itself doesnot deteriorate, evaporate or become contaminated.

In the claims appended hereto, it will be understood that when referenceis made to a "paramn capsule, such is intended to include either acapsule made from substantially pure or commercial paraflin, or acapsule made from a composition in which paramn forms an essentialconstituent,

vand that when reference is made to a mouth medicament such is intendedto include the liq-l uid, paste and solid forms as well as theantisepticizing, deodorizing, cleansing and perfuming types. In thespecification, by the term softening point" of the paraffin is meant thecollapsing point or the temperature at which a capsule of the sizeherein designated is soft enough to flow out of shape of its ownvolition. By softening is, of course, meant collapse and by resistanceto softening is meant resistance to collapse.

What I claim as my invention and desire to be secured by Letters Patentkof the United States is:

l. A hollow and sealed chewable parailn capsule containing a liquidmouth medicament in the hollow portion thereof.

2. A hollow and sealed chewable parailin capsule containing a liquid`mouth medicament in the hollow portion thereof, the paramn having 20 asoftening point above approximately 110 F.

ARTHUR J. MESSNER.

